Archive for November, 2010

Author: Carol Gancia
Photo: Nickolas Muray
20th century revolutionary painter Friday Kahlo was tormented by physical, emotional and psychological pain most of her life, and yet, produced over 160 completed paintings in her lifetime. Much of her work was done while confined in bed due to a permanent backbone, pelvic and foot injury from her youth.

Frida Kahlo with Idol #11, Coyoacán, Mexico, ca. 1940

Her paintings were a mirror of her inner self. And her self was a mirror of her community and her country. Her beloved husband, Diego Rivera, was in every brush stroke… every color… every canvas. She was fearless in the way she approached her art, putting to canvas her deepest thoughts and emotions about people and life around her.
Her intimate relationship with her paintings resulted in a collection of work that men and women all over the globe admire for its depiction of ugly and beautiful, all felt at once by many who view her paintings.

Women today are looking for their own female heroes to get inspired. Over 50 years after her death, Frida serves that purpose and more, as women from all over the world witness her strength through her work, displayed and toured in the most visited museums in North America and Europe.

Harvard MBA graduate Sal Khan taught math to his niece and nephews. Online. They were in New Orleans where Sal grew up and he was all the way in California. Word spread among other relatives and friends, and he found himself remotely tutoring more kids from different time zones and conflicting schedules. He started posting his lessons on YouTube. His audience grew exponentially.

Everyone loved it. He saw great potential in what he was doing. In September, 2009, he quit his day job and started on a quest to educate as many kids as he can reach… from his walk-in closet. More…

Armed with a basic computer, a tablet and Yahoo’s Doodle Notepad, he devoted hundreds of hours creating lesson after lesson, and reaching kids who either loved or were afraid of math. They came from all over, with the largest following from the US, Canada, Australia and India.

Barely a year after he decided to pursue this burning idea, his daily virtual student count had reached 70,000, including Bill Gates’ son.

When asked why he does what he does… and for free, his response was simple, “I can’t imagine a better use of my time.” Back to Part 1

Post-Impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh painted full time for 10 years without ever seeing his work sold and appreciated by the art world.

Self-Portrait, 1889

Photo: Musee D’Orsay

Vincent painted like no other artist in France. Largely self-taught, he developed a unique and aggressive style that deconstructed the prevailing and respected art trends during his time. No gallery accepted his work while he was alive. It took a lot of passion and dedication to press on. It also took one believer… an unwavering financial and emotional support from his sole patron and brother Theo, who provided for his food, shelter and art materials. Van Gogh’s work became a huge success in Paris barely two years after his death. Van Gogh considered his paintings as his legacy. They are the children he never had. Today, his work continues to touch the hearts of billions of people all over the world. Back to Part 1

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”
- Vincent Van Gogh

Starry Night Over The Rhone

November 2010, San Francisco. People from all over the world are lining up at the De Young Museum in San Francisco every one and a half hours to see post-impressionist paintings loaned by Musee D’Orsay in Paris during its renovation. The De Young is the only museum in North America to hold this exhibition. Some of the biggest stars of the exhibition are Vincent Van Gogh’s eight major paintings– from “Starry Night Over The Rhone” to “Bedroom At Arles.” Post-Impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh painted full time for 10 years without ever seeing… More

For 24 years Daniel Wood has had a love affair with the horn. Since he was 10, he has dedicated his life to music. These days, he shares his talent and his love of music as a teaching artist, a performer, and as executive director of a horn ensemble he formed called “Quadre: The Voice of Four Horns.” Daniel understands that when you are passionate about music, people will respond to you. And when they respond, they offer you more opportunities to share. For Daniel, music isn’t a hobby, or a diversion, or a profession. For Daniel, music is his way of talking to the world around him. Watch this episode and be inspired!

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Meet Mahin Ibrahim, 26 years old, born and raised in America. A proud Californian. A proud Muslim woman. She also happens to be a Harry Potter and Twilight fan.
How many times have we backed away from who we are because of peer pressure? It is not easy to be Muslim these days. And yet, she proudly wears her hijab everyday while working at a high profile Fortune 1000 company in Mountain View, California. it wasn’t always this easy.
In this episode, Mahin talks about what it was like to wear the hijab for the first time at age 14 and how she struggled with the American image of beauty while growing up.

Have a thought or two about the story? We’d love to hear from you. Post your comments on this site, “like” us on Facebook or tweet the filmmaker. ‘Want to keep abreast on the latest about “Ripple?” Subscribe to this blog.